Like Riding a Bike
by JasmineDragon818
Summary: Zuko isn't normally one to give up, but teaching Katara to ride a bike is a whole lot harder than it seems. Modern AU. KataraxZuko fluff.


**_I've been pretty obsessed with prompts recently for some reason, so I'm hunting for cute AU story ideas. Nothing too long. Anywho, enjoy!_**

"You're kidding me."

Katara shook her head violently. She gripped the foam handles, frozen stiff on the seat. Utter terror glimmered in her eyes.

"You've seriously never learned to ride a bike?"

Katara remained silent. The front wheel of the bicycle quivered.

Zuko abandoned his bicycle and stood in front of her. His arms folded doubtingly over his chest, ruffling his red T-shirt. An eyebrow arched in disbelief. "What, did you never have bikes in Alaska?"

Katara glared at him. "Yes, we had bikes. I just…" She looked down at her sneakers, embarrassed. "I never learned… that's all."

"But you said that a bike ride would be a fun date."

"Yeah, because I thought maybe I could convince you to do something I actually knew how to do while we were heading home. I didn't think it was a fixed plan or anything."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, a small grin teasing at his lips.

"It's not funny!" Katara scolded, fixing her hands on her hips.

"Look, I'll teach you." The young man leaned on her handlebars and looked at the wheel.

"What, like a child?" Katara scoffed. "I'm an adult. I can figure it out on my own… probably." She glanced down at the pedals. They looked intimidating.

"You're seventeen." Zuko shook his head. "Most kids learn by the time they're, like, six. If you haven't figured it out by now, what hope is there for you? Just let me—"

"Don't touch it. I'll do it."

Zuko stepped back, raising his hands in a surrendered gesture. "Have at it. Do you mind if I get this on video?"

Katara playfully slapped his shoulder, and then looked back down at the handlebars. The cold steel was menacing in a juvenile way. The front wheel seemed to be taunting her. The pedals begged to be pushed just so they could have an excuse to throw her into the nearest shrub. The padded seat felt awkward and uncomfortable between her legs.

With a gulp, the girl slowly lifted her right foot and placed it on the pedal. So far, so good. Her left leg wobbled from having to support her weight. Raising her head (and avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend), Katara bravely pushed the ball of her foot forward and gripped the bars as she rolled forward.

 _Good. Now put your other foot up._

Katara slammed her other foot against its pedal. The jerking motion halted the bike and it began to tip. She caught herself and tried again, this time trying to smoothly transition her left foot from the ground to the rubber pedal.

 _H-hey… I'm doing it!_

x…x…x

"I think the funniest part was when you plummeted into that bush."

"Shuddap." Katara grumbled as Zuko carried her into the house like a child. He gently placed her on the couch and kneeled down to assess the damage.

"Well, I don't think you hurt any bones, since you're not crying your eyes out." Zuko gingerly cupped her knee, which was now peeled and bloody. "You probably should've worn knee pads."

"Sorry if I forgot to bring something that I don't actually have."

Zuko chuckled and rotated her leg. "Any ankle or joint pain?"

Katara shook her head, wincing at the contact of his thumb on the cut. "No. I think I just scraped it."

Her boyfriend stood, picked her up again, and carried her to the bathroom. Setting her down on the edge of the tub, he began rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for peroxide. It'll help get the germs out."

Katara's eyes widened, her face draining of color. "No. Please no. Give me morphine or a shot or something. Just don't let that stuff touch my leg."

"Katara, you're hurt. Unless you want your knee infected, you need to get this stuff into those cuts, and fast."

The girl stood, ignoring the hot pain in her knee, and limped hurriedly out of the room.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"Getting the heck away from you, that's what!"

Zuko groaned and set the bottle down. He ran out of the bathroom just in time to see Katara making a beeline for the back door. He sprinted over to her, hooked his arms around her waist, and lifted her into the air.

"Zuko, no! Put me down! I don't want that stuff!"

"You're acting like a child. Let me clean you up. It'll only hurt for a minute."

"That's what villains say to heroes in the movies when they're about to shoot them!"

Zuko carried his thrashing girlfriend into the bathroom and locked the door. Turning to face her, he grabbed her leg and held it still. Katara grew quiet, her griping turning into pathetic little whispers. He dabbed a wet face cloth on her scrapes to clean off the splatters of blood and held up the peroxide bottle.

"Zuko, please don't. That stuff stings like you wouldn't believe."

Her boyfriend ignored her laments as he soaked a cotton ball with the liquid. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, and then patted the soft fuzz onto her knee.

Birds flew in all directions outside as she let out an ear-piercing scream.

x…x…x

"I still think you overreacted." Zuko said grumpily. They were both back outside, Katara poised on the bike with her eyebrows furrowed low over her eyelids.

"Look, I'm sorry I slapped you, but that poison hurts." Katara looked down at her evil bicycle. "I don't even want to learn to ride anymore."

"Nope. You're going to learn, and you're going to learn now." Zuko swung his leg over his own bike and pedaled gracefully towards her. "See? It's not hard. Just try to keep your balance evenly distributed and if you feel yourself falling then stick your leg out to catch you."

"Easier said than done, sweetie."

Zuko braked and sighed, hanging his head. "I didn't want to have to do this, but now I see that I have to…" He hopped off the bike and cupped the back of Katara's seat. "I'll hold you, okay? Just like my uncle did to me. You just pedal, and I'll hold you up."

Katara laughed. "Yeah, like I'm falling for that. Everybody knows that the helper always lets go."

"But the kid ends up doing it himself eventually, doesn't he?"

Katara looked down, sullen. He had a point.

Without a word, Katara raised one foot onto its pedal. She looked back at Zuko to make sure he was still holding on. With a nod of encouragement, she put her other foot into position. She stared ahead, shaking.

"Just relax. I've got you. Now pedal."

Katara slowly pushed on the rubbery slab and, sure enough, the bike began to move. Her other foot copied the motion even slower.

"You have to go faster. If you don't keep up your momentum, you're going to fall over."

The girl rolled her eyes, then hunched her shoulders down and rotating her knees faster. She began to propel forward. She felt herself leaning to one side, so she wobbled back on course. Her feet steadied themselves into a rhythm all their own and a bubble of pride rose into her throat.

"Hey, Zuko, look! I'm doing it!"

"I know!"

Katara's eyes widened. His voice sounded far away. She turned her head to look behind her and saw him a few feet back, a smug look on his face.

"Hey! You let go!"

"Katara, watch out!"

x…x…x

"You don't turn your head while on a bike! That's just common sense!" Zuko fisted the sides of his hair.

Katara sat on her seat, a defeated pout on her face. A fresh bruise was blooming around a gaping cut on her elbow. "I was excited."

"Look, you can turn around only when you've successfully learned to brake, alright?"

Katara nodded. "I do know how to do that. You just push the pedals backwards, right?"

"Yes." Zuko nodded tiredly. "Push back hard until you feel your wheels grinding. Don't turn until you've fully stopped and one foot is on the ground, okay?"

Katara pushed forward on the pedals again, starting slow. She had gained just a little speed before she slammed onto the brakes. Her chest jolted over her handlebars.

"Not so hard…"

Katara nodded at the comment, and then tried again. This time she almost flipped over the front wheel.

"Okay, that's enough for one day." Zuko jumped in front of her with his hands out. "Clearly this isn't going to be a one-day lesson…" He scanned the yard behind him and his eyes fell on the shed. A memory flashed before his eyes. "C'mon, I have an idea."

x…x…x

"Why didn't you just use this to begin with?" Katara laughed as she pedaled, feeling the air waft through her hair. "It's so much easier."

"Because I thought you'd be more grown up than this." Zuko shook his head, but a chuckle escaped his lips.

"More grown up? I think it's more fun this way! Except I can't see where I'm going."

"Don't worry. Only the pilot has to see. You just need to push."

Katara grinned as they biked down the trail on the two-seater. She couldn't see past her boyfriend's back, but that made every twist and turn on the road more exciting. Her pedaling wasn't helping the ride at all, but she did it anyway, just to practice for the real deal.

"You're not embarrassed, are you?" Katara asked, amusement clearly audible in her voice.

"Not a bit."

 ** _I know this was pretty short and random, but honestly I can't get enough of these cute little stories. So deal with it. XD Comment if you liked it and please give ideas about more prompts! Until then… Keep Calm, Leaf On._**

 ** _~JasmineDragon818_**


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